England skipper Ben Stokes says he "ain't holding back" pinch his bowling, contempt suffering a 2nd hamstring wounded successful nan abstraction of 5 months.
Stokes, 33, limped disconnected nan section connected nan 3rd time of nan 423-run conclusion by New Zealand successful nan 3rd Test successful Hamilton. He will person a scan connected Wednesday.
The 23 overs Stokes bowled connected nan first time is nan astir he has sent down successful a azygous day. The 36.2 overs successful nan lucifer is his astir for much than 2 years and 66.1 successful nan bid is Stokes' astir arsenic captain.
"I'm evidently very disappointed, but each setback I travel backmost stronger," Stokes told BBC Sport.
"There's nary uncertainty I'll beryllium going distant from here, moving [hard] arsenic I ever do and getting myself backmost to wherever I was successful this game."
Stokes' bowling was hampered passim 2023 by a semipermanent near knee problem, upon which he had room a twelvemonth ago.
He past suffered nan first hamstring problem playing successful The Hundred successful August, causing nan Durham man to miss 3 Tests against Sri Lanka and 1 successful Pakistan.
Stokes admitted nan effort to get fresh for nan last 2 Tests successful Pakistan took a intelligence toll, but he looked backmost to his champion successful New Zealand, nan state of his birth.
In Hamilton, he was bowling his 3rd complete of nan 3rd day, past pulled up successful his follow-through. He was affectional arsenic he near nan section and played nary further portion successful nan match. It was initially thought he would person a scan earlier nan 4th day, only for it to beryllium delayed until aft nan Test.
"There's nary uncertainty I was incredibly disappointment past night, successful peculiar pinch really overmuch graft I'd put successful until then," said Stokes. "I felt truthful bully astir everything. I felt my hit was backmost pinch nan ball, I bowled a batch of overs, my assemblage was emotion good.
"The first clip I consciousness for illustration a young man again is erstwhile I prime thing other up."
England's adjacent Test, astatine location to Zimbabwe, is not until May. After that travel marquee bid astatine location to India and distant to Australia.
Stokes' fittingness is captious to nan equilibrium of nan England team. The all-rounder often throws himself into agelong spells of bowling and, erstwhile asked if they whitethorn person to beryllium curtailed, he said: "It's conscionable 1 of those unfortunate things. I ain't holding back.
"Every clip you locomotion retired connected nan section you're astatine consequence of injury. You can't play for thing successful this game."
England coach Brendon McCullum said he mightiness person to punctual Stokes "he's not arsenic young arsenic he utilized to be", without taking nan "flair" away.
"That's what makes him great," said McCullum. "He takes himself to places that different group aren't prepared to. He pushes boundaries perpetually of wherever he thinks he tin return his body.
"If you effort to chisel disconnected immoderate unsmooth edges of those types of mavericks, you extremity up pinch a vanilla merchandise and no-one wants that. We want Ben Stokes being nan maverick that he is.
"We'll person to woody pinch it each now and then, he's going to get a small spot injured. That's life, right? You can't hole for each situation."
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